I seem to keep coming back to the topic of faith. I try to span the full spectrum of God’s Word, but God keeps pulling me back to faith.
Emotion, Logic, Faith
Every decision to buy a product or service is made by emotion, justified by logic, and transformed into a purchase by faith. This rule is the way the world works. Let’s use Mr. Clean® as an example.
A commercial interrupts our video. It’s Mr. Clean! He’s burley, and his earring sparkles from his sheer cleanness rather than your glitter from the party you attended the night before. He stirs your emotions; clean is possible! You crave clean; you crave sparkle. – This is the emotion.
Next, you look at your kitchen and conclude that there is no way to make it clean, let alone sparkle; you need help! You have seen Mr. Clean demonstrate that everything he touches becomes clean and sparkly. – This is the logic…sort of.
Finally, you make the transaction; you buy a container of Mr. Clean. By faith, you have purchased something you’ve never tried. – This is faith.
“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are…There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
Romans 3:22,30
You Can Hear God Now
Faith in God is the bridge from this world we discern through our five senses to the spirit, to God’s exclusive domain. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)” God always hears everyone, but until Jesus makes our spirit alive, we cannot connect with God.
Yesterday, I talked with a Christian brother who said, “You know, a person can know everything in the Bible and still go to hell. We must believe in Jesus.” That’s the mystery about faith. Faith is a bridge; it is how flesh connects to spirit. Faith is that bridge that crosses the chasm. It is the way we cross over from death to life in Jesus Christ.
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.“
Hebrews 11:6
Faith Enables Us to Know What We Do Not See
God has given every one of us some faith. It’s like cash in our bank account. We can live our entire life and die without ever pulling out our debit card and using our faith to receive salvation. We die having faith available to receive Christ’s salvation but remain God’s condemned criminal. It’s like falling out of an airplane with a parachute but never pulling the ripcord.
Faith enables us to know what we do not see. First, for salvation, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9) Then for life in the kingdom of God. “…encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.” (Acts 14:22)
Good News
We have been reborn by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, and that same faith remains with us as we pray, do good deeds, and learn how to live in God’s kingdom. We have an unimaginable, eternal future with the King of kings and Lord of lords throughout eternity. And it starts with the simple act of placing the faith God gave us in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Image by Jason Parker from Pixabay
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